Officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently granted approval to the first intraocular lens (IOL) that offers extended depth of focus for patients with cataracts.
Thanks to these lenses, patients will have better sharpness of vision, or visual acuity, at intermediate, far and near distances. This will help many patients as they go about their daily activities.
Current monofocal IOLs can strengthen only distance vision. The new Tecnis Symfony IOL offers better visual focus for a variety of distances, decreasing patients’ need to wear glasses or contacts after they complete the surgery.
Cataracts, a common eye condition, cloud the natural lens of a person’s eye, which affects their vision. Over 20 percent of U.S. citizens will develop cataracts by the time they are 65 years old; cataracts are more likely to develop with age. During surgery to remove cataracts, the clouded lens is taken out while an IOL is put in.
“While IOLs have been the mainstay of cataract treatment for many years, we continue to see advances in the technology,” Dr. Malvina Eydelman, director of the Division of Ophthalmic and Ear, Nose and Throat Devices in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said. “The Tecnis Symfony Extended Range of Vision IOL provides a new option for patients that may result in better vision across a broader range of distances.”
